Housing projects, redevelopment plans advance across Reston

by Gene Powell, Staff Writer

This county planning map shows a new study area, “Reston East,” and outlines five parcels within it identified thus far by developers for potential replacement of low-rise office buildings with residential units, likely to be townhouses.

Several major housing and redevelopment initiatives advanced in Reston during July, including the long-planned Reston Town Center North proposal, a new planning study for the area dubbed "Reston East" along the Dulles Toll Road, and a plan to preserve one of Reston's oldest homes.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval of the 48-acre Reston Town Center North project July 22, moving it a step closer to a final vote by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

The site is north of Reston Town Center and bordered by Town Center Parkway, New Dominion Parkway, Fountain Drive and Baron Cameron Avenue.

The proposal calls for swapping several parcels between Fairfax County and Inova Health Care Services to better align public and private development. The project has been under discussion for more than a decade, and officials have said full buildout is likely to take another 10 years or more.

The publicly funded portion would include a new Reston Regional Library, a new home for the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, an athletic field, a county recreation center and a "Central Green" park. The privately owned portion could include up to 1,000 residential units and retail space. Land also has been designated at the northern end of the public property for a future elementary school.

Fairfax County planners presented the 119-acre "Reston East" study area at a July 27 public meeting, where they answered residents' questions and accepted comments.

The study area is occupied by low-rise office buildings on more than 30 parcels. It is bounded by Sunrise Valley Drive to the south, Campus Commons to the west, Hunter Mill Road to the east and the Dulles Toll Road to the north.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said the meeting was intended to gather public input on the area's future as the county considers several proposals to replace underused office buildings with residential development, a trend occurring in several parts of Reston.

Five proposals totaling up to 1,200 residential units are seeking redesignation from office-industrial to residential under Reston's Comprehensive Plan. Developers displayed preliminary concepts showing where and what types of housing might be built, but county officials cautioned that approval of any specific project could be years away, if it occurs at all.

Residents raised concerns about traffic, school enrollment, impacts on Reston's parks and recreational amenities, and whether high-rise residential buildings would be permitted.

One developer, proposing the Bells Crossing project east of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, said the development would join the Reston Association, generating additional revenue for the homeowners association. Much of the Reston East study area lies outside the association's jurisdiction and within the Reston Town Center Transit Station Area, which includes property on both sides of the Dulles Toll Road and Metro's Silver Line.

In mid-July, the Board of Supervisors approved rezoning for 57 townhouses in nine buildings surrounding the 125-year-old A. Smith Bowman House, one of the few remaining structures from Wiehle, the community that predated Reston. The 5-acre site is bordered by the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, Old Reston Avenue and Stratford Park Place.

The property's owners received county approval in 2019 to replace all existing structures with two office buildings but recently revised their plans to preserve the historic house and pursue residential development instead. The house could become a clubhouse or return to residential use.

The Board of Supervisors also approved rezoning July 14 for the second phase of the Lofts at Reston Station condominium development, east of Wiehle Avenue at Michael Faraday Drive.

PulteGroup's Lofts at Reston Station II would replace three low-rise office buildings in the 1800 block of Samuel Morse Drive with 112 condominiums and 46 stacked townhouses. The proposal also includes a future extension of Easterly Road to Sunset Hills Road in cooperation with another property owner.

Although the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommended approval, the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee did not support the application. During several public meetings this year, residents cited concerns about parking, loading areas, snow removal, and construction dust and debris at the first phase of the development.

Pulte representatives said they are working to establish a developer consortium to clear snow within 24 hours. If that effort is unsuccessful, the company said it will remove snow at its own expense.